


Warm Light from Frosted Windows

by alienbacteria



Series: The Magic of Fear [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Family, Family Fluff, First Christmas, Gen, Holiday Special, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:00:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienbacteria/pseuds/alienbacteria
Summary: The Blackwood-Sims-Potters spend their first Christmas together, and it goes better than expected.Or all the family members are a bit overwhelmed trying to make this year a perfect Christmas, yet somehow they succeed in their efforts.
Relationships: Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Harry Potter & Alice “Daisy” Tonner, Harry Potter & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood & Harry Potter, Martin Blackwood & Harry Potter & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Series: The Magic of Fear [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970065
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	1. 2 Weeks Before Christmas

The cottage had become a safe haven from the wind and chill in the fresh December weather. A light snowfall dusted the road leading up to the little house and the early darkness made it look right out of a dream. From the outside, warm light glowed from the windows and the laughter of the small family still rang clear down the road. Jon had walked through the door a few minutes earlier, and decided to chase Harry with his cold fingers. Martin stood next to the oven waiting for dinner to be ready while watching the two run around the ground floor of the cottage. Amusement written clear on his face. 

“Dad, you can’t do this! I’m already cold!” Harry shouted while giggling. He dove over the back of the coach and started running around the dining table towards the kitchen. Jon was close behind him, even though he just went around the couch. 

“Do what, poppet? I just want to give you a hug.” Jon chased Harry into the kitchen where Martin continued to watch them. Just as Harry was about to duck behind Martin, Jon caught the boy around the middle. However, they both underestimated Jon’s strength. Jon and Harry collapsed on the floor in a pile of giggles. Martin smiled at the pair on the floor and offered a hand to help them stand up. Instead, the monsters pulled him in the pile.

“Jon! Harry! I am in the middle of ma- Good god, Jon! You’re cold!” The small family stayed on the floor for another few minutes before the alarm on Martin’s phone rang loud and clear, signaling the meal’s completion. Both Jon and Harry reluctantly rolled off Martin and let him empty the oven of its contents. Harry climbed on the counter nearby so he was not in the way. Jon, on the other hand, decided to press himself into Martin’s back and cling as tightly as he could.

“You know what would really be helpful?” Martin asked, back turned to his boyfriend and child. They both hummed in response, and Martin turned around in the embrace, a smirk on his face. “If you two would actually help.” Jon groaned and Harry snickered at the indignation. 

“Harry could you feed the Cadet? Your dad is going to set the table.” At this, Jon groaned louder. He tried to hide his face in the crook of Martin's neck, but his love just laughed and pulled away.

“Jon, love. Please set the table.” Martin caught Jon’s searching hands and held them in front of his chest. He gave Jon a peck on the cheek and whispered, “We can cuddle later, I promise. Just set the table.” Jon huffed, but gave in. He could not resist the promise of evening snuggles. 

After making quick work of the table and feeding the tiny beast, the small family sat down to eat their meal. It wasn’t anything big, just a baked pasta dish, but in the cold of the coming winter, they considered the dish heaven. After a few minutes of eating in content silence, Jon started talking about his day and the odd things his students had said throughout the day. Soon everyone around the table was laughing at the absurdity and antics of his students.

“One of them filmed it last week! According to a bunch of them, I’m somehow internet famous or something.” By then Harry was absolutely losing it and Martin just wanted to know more.

“What were you going off about this time?” Jon started blushing furiously and tried to stutter out a response.

“Well I- it was exact- um-”

“Jooooon. What was your rant about?”

“... Well it started off as an informative conversation about their midterm for next week and may or may not have derailed into a rant about their mental health and how the school is terrible with handling mental illness.” Martin raised an eyebrow.

“There's more, isn’t there.” Jon hid his face in his hands and nodded into his hands. 

“Juliet walked in as I told them all that sleep was more important than their grades.” That sent Martin over the edge. He cackled at the thought of a frazzled and stuck up counselor walking in on the local cryptid of a teacher, only to find that he’s preaching the exact opposite of what she wanted the students to think. The laughter continued much to Jon’s discomfort, but once it died down, he asked the question that had been on his mind for a few days.

“What do you two want to do for the holidays this year?”

Martin perked up a little; Harry looked down at the floor. The year before, Martin and Jon had spent Christmas in London with their friends. It was a day full of inside jokes, food, and joy. They did not want to overwhelm Harry for his first family holiday and were actually quite interested in what he wanted to do. Neither of them were particularly religious, but they both enjoyed the season.

“Well, I was thinking a small Christmas celebration here would be nice. A Christmas tree, some hot chocolate, and a few small gifts. Maybe the Aunts could come over.” After meeting Daisy, Basira, Melanie, and Georgie, Harry had been obsessed with them. Each had their own title. Daisy was the Cool Aunt, Basira was the Smart Aunt, Melanie was the Fun Aunt, and Georgie was the Mom Aunt. Jon had asked about the last one, and Harry had simply said that she acted like a mother hen, just like Martin. He didn’t need any more of an explanation having experienced it himself.

“I think I’d like that. It sounds really nice.” Harry mumbled. He looked unsure, but also excited.

“Is there anything you want to do for Christmas in particular?” Jon asked softly. It was not that he wanted to startle Harry, it’s just that Martin and he had discovered that Harry rarely expanded on answers unless prompted.

“I wanna help cook? Maybe we could make a snowman. I used to see them when I live with my aunt and uncle, but I’ve never made one myself.” Harry was still looking at the floor, but now his eyes were flickering up a bit. Jon and Martin looked to each other discreetly. 

“I’m sure that can be arranged.” Jon smiled at Martin. Martin grinned back. The rest of the meal continued with relative ease and eventually the trio found themselves with warm mugs of tea, biscuits, and blanket in front of the lit fireplace. In the warm light, they all drifted off to sleep, one by one.


	2. Chapter 2 - 1 Week Before Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a week before Christmas and they are finally decorating for Christmas.

Jon woke up with the sun rising out his window and a warm arm around his waist. His back was warm with the press of his boyfriend. Jon shuffled a bit and the arm around his waist tightened.

“No. Warm.” Martin nuzzled his face into the back of Jon’s neck. Jon tried to keep quiet, but his shoulders shook with silent laughter making Martin grumble even more. Soon it was too difficult for Jon to stop the laughter. 

“Don’t laugh at me.” Martin whined. Jon could picture the sad pout on his face. “What are we even doing that’s so important to get up at the ass crack of dawn?” Jon’s laughter came back full force. He knew that Martin got sweary early in the morning, but knowing and experiencing were two very different things. It took a minute, but again, Jon regained his composure. 

“We’re picking out the Christmas tree and decorating the house today. I figured that if I made a good breakfast we might actually get most of it done before bed.” Jon still had amusement in his voice, but Martin let it go.

“Well I guess you can go … if you make pancakes.” Jon turned in the embrace and kissed Martin’s forehead with a small ‘of course’. He stood up, retucked the blankets tight around Martin, and left to get the breakfast started. He grabbed a warm sweater and well insulated pair of jeans before heading to the bathroom. Walking down the hallway, Jon saw the figure of the Cadet sitting outside of Harry’s room. She peered in his direction and meowed at him.

“You want to go see Harry, don’t you darling.” Jon asked. He crouched to pet the tiny beast; her tail flicked in annoyance, but allowed the touch. “Alright. Just don’t wake him up.” Jon silently opened the bedroom door. The Cadet rubbed against his leg and stalked in. Jon just turned and walked to the bathroom with a smile. 

Breakfast didn’t take long to make. Soon the house smelled of the sweet pastries. Martin preferred American pancakes to the traditional English pancakes. He had them once and refused to eat any other kind after, no matter what recipe Jon tried. 

Within 5 minutes of completion, the small family sat around the kitchen table. A groggy Martin rubbing his eyes and Harry petting the Cadet in his lap, still half-asleep. Breakfast was quiet and slow, but when Jon mentioned decorating the house, Harry perked up. 

“I get to help pick out the Christmas tree!” The smile on Harry’s face was almost as prominent as his shock. Jon chuckled.

“Of course, poppet. Clean up your breakfast and go get dressed. We’ll want to leave as soon as possible.” Harry set the kitten on the floor, much to her displeasure, and cleaned up as quickly as possible. He was up the stairs before Jon could say anything about dressing for the cold weather. Martin looked at Jon with a playful glare.

“Did you really have to rile him up like that?”

“Yes. Yes I did. Now go get dressed, don’t want to keep him waiting, right?”

\---------------------------------------------

Picking out the tree did not take long; the farm down the road supplied the village with all its Christmas trees every year. It wasn’t picked over and a few other families were walking around too. A couple of Jon’s students were there, but none tried to approach, they just waved. Harry hopped from tree to tree, looking for any imperfections or discrepancies. Martin had woken up in the cold weather and held Jon’s hand as they wandered through the tree field. After about 15 minutes, Harry found the one he wanted.

“Dad! Papa! I found the perfect one. It’s not too tall or too short and it doesn’t have any empty spots!” Harry grabbed each of his parent’s empty hands and dragged them towards the tree. Jon could only agree with Harry’s assessment and soon, they paid for it and packed the tree on top of the car. They filled the car ride to the cottage with excited chatter from Harry and mindful decoration planning from Martin. Jon focused on the road and butted in when needed. When they pulled into the driveway, Harry buzzed with excitement. 

“I can go dig up the decorations from the basement!” Harry shouted and ran from the car, quicker than either of his parents thought was possible. Martin turned to Jon and raised an eyebrow. Both of them started chuckling soon after.

“I’ll start the tea; you put the tree in the stand to dry out?” 

“Deal” 

\---------------------------------------------

Tea was made and decorations were unearthed. The ornaments and tree lights were set aside for a later time. A fake wreath for the door and stockings to hang above the fireplace. In the background, soft Christmas music played.

Harry bounced around holding bows and garlands as Jon walked around and hung them around the house. Martin found the box of outdoors lights and got to work decorating the porch. By midafternoon, they finished decorating the house and the tree was dry enough to bring inside the house. They place it in the corner of the living room.

“Well, I guess it’s time for a break. Dinner then we can decorate the tree?” They all agreed and decided to order some pizza. They sat on the couch in front of the crisp fire, eating the fresh pizza. 

“Hey papa? Dad? I’m tired. Can we watch a movie or something and go to bed?” Harry yawned as Jon and Martin shared a smile. 

“What movie do you want to watch?”

“... Wall-E. I don’t really want to watch a Christmas Movie.” 

“Alright, sweetheart. Go put on your pajamas and we’ll clean up. If you want you can find the Cadet and bring her down with you.” Martin offered. Harry nodded and stretched out his back. He shuffled up the stairs and up to his room. Jon and Martin made a bit of small talk while they cleaned up.

“You know, I’ve always thought that our story was basically the same as Wall-e. Just one of us was out of order.” Martin said while bagging up the leftover pizza. Jon let out a startled laugh.

“What do you mean, darling?” Jon washed the dishes of the day as he listened to Martin.

“Well, I was at the institute long before you, and then when you showed up, I thought you were amazing, like Wall-E when Eve goes to Earth. Then they have a moment of weakness and protection together, the sandstorm for them, the worm attack for us. Eve finds the plant and has to leave the planet, you went into a coma and it felt like you were on another planet. Skip a bunch of stuff in the movie, then Wall-E gets crushed and has a bunch of his parts replaced. He can’t remember who he is, like me in the Lonely. Then we both had someone to pull us out and live happily ever after with.” Martin finished. Jon stood there staring at him, mouth open in shock.

“I- I never thought of that! When did you think of that?” 

“A couple weeks after the failed ritual. You had just gotten the job at the high school and we were celebrating with a movie night. We watched Wall-E and you fell asleep in the first 10 minutes. It was really cute.” Martin shuffled behind Jon, hooked his chin over his shoulder, and watched as Jon’s hands slid over the dishes. They continued in silence before hearing the stomping of feet down the stairs. Harry stood at the bottom of the stairs with a blanket cape and the Cadet cradled in his arms. 

“Ready?” Harry nodded and they all were on the couch within the next five minutes. They made through about 5 minutes before Harry was out like a light and Jon followed soon after. Martin just sighed and held them closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in a morning sleep haze. I had fallen asleep on the floor at 10:40 the night before, woke up at midnight, dragged myself up the stairs to my room and through my nightly routine. I then proceeded to collapse due to exhaustion on my bed and sleep for another 8 hours straight. This was an accomplishment of the highest level. I haven’t slept for more than 4 to 5 hours in over 3 months. 
> 
> Also I have to give credit to @cinnamoniic on tumblr for their Wall-E TMA Au. I absolutely love that au and I believe you should all check it out.


	3. Chapter 3 - Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon, Martin, and Harry have some visitors. It’s also Christmas Eve.

Jon stood back and admired the snowmen family he had been working on with Martin and Harry. Two tall snowmen stood on either side of a smaller snowman; all three were holding hands and smiling with grins made of rocks. They made the snowmen family in an hour or two and planned to make some hot chocolate after. 

Daisy and Basira were due to arrive in an hour or so and they still had to make the bed in the guest room. Georgie, Melanie, and the Admiral couldn’t make it for Christmas Eve, but planned to be there the morning of Christmas Day. Harry was ecstatic; Jon and Martin were also excited, but were nervous about housing everyone in the small cottage.

“Hey dad! Think fast!” Jon turned in the direction of Harry’s voice only to be hit square in the face with a cold projectile. He fell back into the snow with the force and heard giggles from a few feet away. Jon wiped the snowball off his face and found Martin giving Harry a high-five. 

“I have been betrayed! How could my family do such a thing?” Jon lamented from the snowbank that caught his fall. They laughed even harder. “My trust is broken and I’m going to run away to Antarctica; the penguins will not betray me as my loved ones have!”

“Okay, Mr. Melodrama. Let’s get you out of the snow.” Martin walked over to help Jon up. As soon as Martin stood in front of his love, Jon hit him in the face with a hidden snowball and ran behind a tree for cover. Martin stood sputtering and Harry ducked for cover as a snowball flew his way. 

“Oh, it is on, Jonathan Sims!” Martin grabbed Harry’s hand and dragged Harry behind a particularly high snowbank. They made as many snowballs as they could, while Jon ran from tree to tree, trying to get a clear shot at them. This battle went on until Martin and Harry made a plan. Said plan consisted of running out from behind the snowbank and pinning Jon down in the snow. 

“Ready?” Harry nodded with a look of seriousness on his face.

“One … Two … THREE!” They rushed out from their fortress and tackled Jon so he could not move.

“Do you yield yet, dad?” Harry demanded, his serious mask beginning to crack. Martin and Harry each laid half on top of Jon; he felt snow going down his neck and Martin’s breath tickling his face. Jon sighed.

“Fine. I yield ... but I would have won had this been an even match!” Jon yelled with exasperation. Martin rolled his eyes and huffed at his boyfriend’s antics. Then an amused voice spoke from behind them.

“Well, Sims, you seem to be in quite the pickle.” All three of them looked back to find Daisy with a smirk on her face. Basira was at her side shaking her head fondly. 

“Aunt Daisy! Aunt Basira!” Harry sprung up and ran to the women’s open arms. Martin chuckled and helped Jon out of the snow.

“Hey, trouble! How’ve you been?” Soon Daisy and Harry were engrossed in conversation about everything and absolutely nothing at all. Basira turned to Martin and Jon; she gave them each a quick hug.

“Thanks for inviting us up. Is everything ready for tomorrow?” Jon glanced at Harry to make sure he wasn’t listening in before nodding.

“We’ll be doing a bit of stress wrapping tonight, but we’ll be alright.” Martin responded. 

“How’s married life?” Jon asked, genuinely curious. Basira and Daisy had worked things out after the failed ritual and Daisy’s recovery from the Hunt. 6 months later, Basira popped the question and in November, they got married. Basira smirked.

“It’s great. You two should try it.” Jon stammered a bit and turned beat red. Martin hid his face in his hands and held in the urge to screech at Basira. They had grown closer over the past year due to their partners being best friends. In fact, Martin had helped Basira plan the proposal since Jon might have slipped up in front of Daisy. 

“Stop bullying them, ‘Sira. We were worse than they are.” They all looked over to find Harry draped over Daisy’s shoulders and giggling. “Squirt and I are heading inside; you two messes are coming too. It’s too darn cold out and the three of you are covered in snow.” Daisy turned to the cottage with Harry in a firefighter’s carry and marched toward the front door. Jon sighed and followed behind.

“Martin and I are going to get the bags. We’ll be in soon.” Basira called before grabbing Martin’s shoulder and steering him towards the car. She opened the second row doors and handed Martin a yellow canvas bag. She grabbed an identical blue bag, shut the door, and leaned against it.

“Martin. You two have been together for a year and a half now, stopped the apocalypse from happening, and have supported each other through the ups and downs. Not to mention that the both of you have a child! One of you needs to do it soon!” 

Martin sighed. She did have a point. He just had been thinking about it before they had taken Harry in, but he hadn’t thought about it since. 

“I know, and I really want to, Basira … but we need a little more time. Knowing you and the other three women in our lives, one of us will have proposed by summer.” She smiled, slowly and sheepishly, but a true smile.

“I’ve known Jon since we were in uni, and I’ve never seen him look at someone with more love than when he looks at you.” Basira assured him. Martin nodded with a smile. 

“Papa! Auntie Basira! Dad and Aunt Daisy are making hot chocolate!” Harry stood in the doorway of the cottage, waiting for them. Martin and Basira shrugged and headed inside. 

\---------------------------------------------

It was far past Harry’s bedtime and he was having trouble staying awake. Jon watched as he just burrowed a little further into his Aunt Basira’s side; she ran a hand through Harry’s hair as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Jon caught Daisy’s eye and glanced at Harry. When he looked back at Daisy, she nodded.

“Think ‘Sira and I might head to bed. Leave you two love birds to enjoy some peace.” Daisy said as she stood and stretched. A pop from her spine startled Harry out of his dozing. “What about you, trouble? Want me to carry you up?”

Harry nodded weakly and yawned. He reached up with grabby hands; Daisy scooped him up and offered Basira a hand up. The Cadet meowed at Basira until she sighed and lifted the little beast into her arms. The kitten had become quite uptight about where she would sleep. Within a minute, the living room was silent, save for the crackling of Christmas songs from the old radio. Jon sighed in contentment and leaned against Martin. It was a few minutes before Martin broke the silence.

“You know, I used to dream of this as a kid. A soft Christmas with my loved ones, an actual Christmas tree, hot chocolate to share with people. Only one thing is missing.”

“Oh?” Martin nodded softly with a growing smile. He stood up and offered a hand to Jon.

“May I have this dance?” Jon gave a fond chuckle. When he nodded, Martin swept him off the couch and into a loose embrace. Jon laid his head on Martin’s shoulder and swayed softly with the music. They did not worry about the gifts to wrap or the morning that would surely come too early. They held each other close and danced as the snow fell outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daisy loves kids. Just a fact. Basira has younger cousins and a couple nieces and nephews, but Harry is her absolute favorite. Honestly, the nicknames from them are just what my aunt and uncle call me, so I went yeet and put them in. Martin and Basira are practically siblings while Daisy and Jon are besties.


	4. Chapter 4 - Christmas Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day comes with smiles.

Harry woke up to a mostly silent house. There was no light out, but he could still make out the vague shape of a kitten near his chest. The clock glowed “6:40 AM” a few feet away. He had promised not to wake anyone up until 7:30, so he tried to fall asleep again. He curled around the Cadet and closed his eyes. However, the Cadet’s disgruntled little “murp” jostled him awake again. 

She stared at him with big eyes before nudging his hand with a small “murp” Harry smile softly and scratched behind her ears. She purred in contentment and snuggled a little closer to the boy.

“Hey, stinky,” she opened her eyes again. “Do you mind if we move to the window seat? I want to read and you know how much I enjoy sitting there.” The Cadet allowed Harry to wrap her in a spare blanket and carried from the bed. Harry picked out a new novel, a book of mixed up fairy-tales, and curled up on the window seat. He read for about an hour before glancing out the window to find the sun beginning to rise. When Harry looked at the clock and found it just after 7:30, a spike of unease shot through him. 

However, Harry was too excited to care. He gathered the kitten up, who just nosed into his neck and purred, and snuck over to his parent’s room. Harry had never woken a parental figure up on Christmas, but he also knew only to wake up Martin. According to his papa, his dad startled easily when he was tired. So, Harry snuck down the hallway quietly as possible before stopping outside of his parent’s door. He set the Cadet down in her blanket next to the door and slipped into the room. 

Martin laid on his side of the bed looking at ease. Jon, on the other hand, looked like he had fallen into bed, starfished, and decided that Martin’s chest would make the perfect pillow. Harry crept up behind Martin and shook his shoulder a bit.

“Papa! Papa, wake up!” he shook Martin’s shoulder a little harder before he finally groaned awake. 

“Eughhhh. Is it … really morning already? It’s not even light out.” Martin muttered under his breath, hoping Harry would not hear it. Harry did anyway and giggled a bit. “I’ll wake up your dad; go get your Aunt Basira and Aunt Daisy. Aunt Melanie and Aunt Georgie will be here by 8.” Harry nodded and rushed out of the room.

Martin chuckled a little before turning his attention to Jon. He thought about the night before. How they had slow-danced in the lights of the Christmas tree for a good while before remembering the unwrapped gifts in their bedroom. Martin didn’t have to peek at the clock to know that they didn’t get enough sleep, but he also knew that Jon wanted to wake up before Georgie and Melanie arrived. 

“Jon, love. Time to wake up.” He said, wrapping his arms around Jon and squeezed lightly. Jon gave a small groan, but not enough to signal himself awake. Martin kissed his temple and gave another squeeze. 

“Mmmm … it’s too early for this.” Martin gave a small laugh at his boyfriend’s complaint. Jon huffed and curled into Martin’s side. 

“I know, but will it be better if I make some tea. Or hot chocolate?” Jon nodded. “Then you have to get up, darling.”

“Noooooo.” Jon hid his face in Martin’s neck, refusing to freeze in the cold of their bedroom. “Don’t want to.” Martin hummed in response.

“If I carry you, will you go downstairs with me?” One of Jon’s weakness that Martin knew was when Martin carried him around. He loved the feeling of being held, but didn’t get to experience it often. 

Jon perked up and immediately nodded. While Jon sat up and wrapped a blanket over his shoulders, Martin got out of bed and stretched. When Jon was ready, Martin stepped between Jon’s legs and lifted up under his thighs. Jon wrapped his legs around Martin’s waist and his arms around Martin’s neck, before nuzzling into his neck and letting his entire body relax. 

Martin smiled softly and started out into the hallway. He walked past the guest room to hear Harry giggling hysterically and Daisy saying something about a tickle monster. He slowed down to listen and savor it. Jon pulled back from his cozy den and kissed Martin on the cheek.

“You alright?” Jon asked with a furrowed brow. Martin nodded and kissed Jon; he went down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Martin set Jon on the counter and started to heat the water, but his boyfriend had other plans.

“Martiiiiin. I’m coooold.” Jon whined from his spot on the counter and put on his most pleading pout; Martin gave him a look that portrayed all of his fondness and frustration. He checked the clock and saw that they had about 15 to 20 minutes before Georgie and Melanie arrived.

“... Might as well wait for our guests before I make any drinks.” Martin sighed. Jon smirked and once again made grabby hands at his boyfriend, who scooped him off the counter and dropped them both on the couch in the living room. Jon nestled his face into the space between Martin’s neck and shoulder and fell back asleep. Martin couldn’t help it, so he followed Jon’s lead.

\---------------------------------------------

“Melanie and Georgie are here!” Basira called from the front door. Harry rushed to the door to greet them, but nearly bowled Georgie over in the process. She laughed into his hair and crushed him as hard as she could in a hug.

“Heya, munchkin! How have you been? And where’re your parents?” Georgie exclaimed. Harry looked up at her with his bright green eyes and a smile on his face.

“I’m doing really good! We made ourselves as snowmen yesterday. I think papa and dad are asleep on the couch. They must’ve moved there after I woke papa up.” Harry told her. “I think they went to bed past their bedtime. I know I did!” Georgie started to crack up at the thought of Jon stress wrapping gifts well past midnight while Martin tried to corral him into bed. 

“Well, how about we leave them be and go get the Admiral. I know he’s been grumpy from all the travel we did yesterday.” Harry cheered and ran to the car where Melanie was getting out. 

“Aunt Melanie! Aunt Melanie!” When Harry called, Melanie turned towards his voice and opened her arms. Harry crashed into his aunt with the force of a truck, making her chuckle in response. 

“Hey, bud! How’ve you been?” Melanie wrapped her arms around the boy and squeezed as hard as possible. Harry giggled in delight as she picked him up under his armpits, and swung him in a circle. 

“Awesome! Papa and I beat dad at a snowball fight; Aunt Daisy made fun of him for it.” He said smiling slyly. Melanie was silent for a moment before she began to die of laughter. 

“You beat THE Jonathan Sims, at a snowball fight?” Harry nodded, confused. Melanie just laughed harder. “I’m so proud! Your Aunt Georgie can’t even do that! Now let’s get the Admiral inside, so I can rub it in his face.”

\---------------------------------------------

It was a few hours later and everyone was exhausted from the morning’s excitement. Melanie and Georgie sat leaning against a couch, cuddled into each other’s sides, most likely asleep. Daisy had her arm around Basira’s shoulder; their head peacefully leaning together gave the allusion of sleep. Harry sat between his parents, the Cadet cradled in his lap; The Admiral slept soundly in Jon’s lap. Then Harry remembered something important. He set the Cadet in Martin’s lap and sprung from his place on the couch. 

“Don’t move! I have a gift for you two!” Harry yelled before sprinting up the stairs to his room. Harry and Martin shrugged at each other and waited. It took a minute, but soon the sound of rushed feet entered the room again. Harry shoved the gift in front of him for his parents to take before plopping himself in the empty spot on the couch. Jon looked at it curiously before glancing at Martin and cautiously tearing the paper. Inside was a small picture frame with four photos in it. 

The top left was a picture of Jon and Martin’s one-year anniversary. In the top right was a picture of the three of them, eating cake, at Daisy and Basira’s wedding. The bottom left was a picture from the day before, Martin and Harry on top of Jon; all three of them were laughing in the snow. Finally, in the bottom right, there was a child’s drawing of the three of them in front of the cottage; at the bottom, it read “My Family!” Jon sat there staring at the frame trying not to cry. 

“Harry … this is wonderful!” Jon wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close, before passing the frame to Martin. He could not help, but agree. 

“I’m putting this on the mantle. It’s perfect.” Martin wrapped his arms around both Jon and Harry. This Christmas had been not only fulfilling, but also perfect in an amazing, uncertain way. The little family held each other close and basked in the peace and quiet of the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the middle of writing this, I texted my friend 2 wiki how pictures of different ways to carry someone and she told me they were cute enough. Then I described the Mom with a Toddler Carry(TM) that’s basically a backwards pig-back ride and she went, and I quote ‘The last one. The mom way. That’s fucking adorable.’ So here we are.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, happy holidays! I hope you’re all safe and experiencing at least a little joy. This fic takes place about a month and half to two months after Harry’s adoption. I am planning on writing more about the time between, but I just really wanted to do a Christmas special.
> 
> Here is what I picture the Cadet as : https://alienbactria.tumblr.com/post/638425137454170113/merry-christmas-here-is-what-i-imagine-the-cadet
> 
> Come check me out on tumblr : https://alienbactria.tumblr.com/


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